About this project

OVA: The Anime Role-Playing Game

$112,080

pledged of $7,500 goal

2,319

backers

OVA: The Anime Role-Playing Game is exactly what it says in the title, a tabletop RPG lovingly crafted to capture the diverse worlds of Japanese animation. Save the princess (or prince!) from a fire-breathing dragon, tackle invading squadrons of giant robots, or find true love amid campus hijinks—everything you need is inside!

That's because when you create a character in OVA, you define what is important. You pick which attributes matter by choosing the abilities and weaknesses that match your character concept. There are no long lists of hard-coded statistics to fill out and no classes to sift through. If it's not important to your character, you don't write it down!

Character creation takes minutes, and the rules are quick, consistent, and easy to understand. This makes it perfect for novices and newcomers. But if you're an old hand at gaming, there's room for boundless customization. You could give your character a simple bonus to damage, or you can stick around and detail each and every flashy move with unique perks and flaws. Or you could eschew having any combat attributes at all. OVA lets you play the story you want to create, not a predefined notion of what an adventure should entail.

This is actually a revised edition of the original OVA first published in 2005. While it was popular and garnered many glowing reviews—don't take my word for it, just click here, here, and here!—I felt it was time to take another look at the game and decide how to make it even better. I've spent the last few years tweaking and refining what makes OVA work, and replaced what was inconsistent or clunky. So even if you already own the original game, there's lots of new stuff here to make your games smoother and more fun. Complications make failed tasks more than just awkward stop signs, the new Attack ability consolidates several old ones in a way that's elegant and makes sense. This tuned-up edition of OVA simply plays better and smarter!

So where do you come in? I wanted to do more than revise the game itself, I wanted to rebuild the book from the ground up to be as beautiful as possible. Graced with a new logo, organized by a clean, fresh layout, and filled cover-to-cover with never-before-seen full-color artwork, OVA will be as fun to read as it is to play.

With such measures taken to make the content itself look great, I want to make sure that nothing is lost in the transition to print. And I need your help to produce a book with over 150 beautiful, full-color pages.

Want to see how the game works? Download a copy of the Player
Book by clicking one of the banners above. This is a super-condensed version of
the rules to introduce new players to the game. There are three characters to choose from!

All Pledge Levels include free shipping to the continental US!
Those elsewhere on the continent or across the pond, please see
the Pledge Level for an additional shipping fee.

All images here are approximations of the final product, though I did my best to be as accurate as possible.

To purchase add-ons, simply increase your pledge by an amount equal to the items you wish to receive. After the Kickstarter ends, you will be receiving a survey to clarify the contents of your order.

My initial goal is to fund a luxurious, full-color printed book for OVA, but if the project has the good fortune—and generous support from all of you—to exceed that goal, I'll be able to add new and exciting things to go with the game. In addition, as each goal is met, a new one will be revealed. Ganbatte, everyone!

Golden Sky Stories is a Heartwarming Role-Playing Game where you become an animal gifted with just a tiny bit of magical power. Use your magic to take human form, make friends, help the townspeople, and maybe get into a little bit of trouble. If you back both Golden Sky Stories and OVA at $10 or more, you will get a special PDF that includes bonuses for both games! See OVA favorites as townspeople in Golden Sky Stories and a new character type: The Esper. Also, you get the lovable tanuki/raccoon-dog Riko with an OVA character sheet, and a new set of "affection" rules inspired by Golden Sky Stories' heartwarming style of play. Visit its Kickstarter to find out more!

Terreria Tactics is a competitive party-based combat card game inspired by the fantastic battles of Japanese console role-playing games. As a commanding officer, you must craft the perfect party of heroes and make tactical use of commands, items, and locations to emerge victorious! If you back both Terreria Tactics and OVA at levels that net you physical copies of each, you will also receive special bonuses for both games! Get a Terreria Tactics Character Card featuring OVA’s sword-wielding sorcerer Auren. You will also receive the clever Zowie as a fully-detailed character sheet ready to play in your OVA game. Visit Terreria Tactics’ Kickstarter to find out more!

Risks and challenges

As mentioned above, this is not my first time producing a role-playing game. I've gone through the process of creating a PDF, preparing it for print, and getting it into stores. The text itself is complete, as is much of the art. I've also helped with many different Kickstarter campaigns, including very successful ones run by Minion Games, so I hope to make your backing experience as great as possible!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $60 or more
About $60

BEST FRIENDS - The PDF, a physical copy of OVA: The Anime Role-Playing Game, and three Player Books to give to your friends (or keep for yourself.) Your name will also appear in the book as a patron of the game.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

MISSILE MAIDEN - A Kickstarter-exclusive deluxe package including an over-sized hardcover version of the rulebook, three introductory Player Books, adorable "chibi" stickers, dice, and a hand-sewn dice-bag featuring OVA characters. Your name will also be printed in the book as a patron of the game.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

MISSILE MAIDEN II - A Kickstarter-exclusive deluxe package including an over-sized hardcover version of the rulebook, three introductory Player Books, adorable "chibi" stickers, dice, and a hand-sewn dice-bag featuring OVA characters. Your name will also be printed in the book as a patron of the game.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

MISSILE MAIDEN III - A Kickstarter-exclusive deluxe package including an over-sized hardcover version of the rulebook, three introductory Player Books, adorable "chibi" stickers, dice, and a hand-sewn dice-bag featuring OVA characters. Your name will also be printed in the book as a patron of the game.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

MISSILE MAIDEN IV - A Kickstarter-exclusive deluxe package including an over-sized hardcover version of the rulebook, three introductory Player Books, adorable "chibi" stickers, dice, and a hand-sewn dice-bag featuring OVA characters. Your name will also be printed in the book as a patron of the game.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

MISSILE MAIDEN V - A Kickstarter-exclusive deluxe package including an over-sized hardcover version of the rulebook, three introductory Player Books, adorable "chibi" stickers, dice, and a hand-sewn dice-bag featuring OVA characters. Your name will also be printed in the book as a patron of the game.